TUE? rewritten ending
by KHwhitelion
Summary: alternate ending to a fanfic I read by doinstuff. Danny's future may have been protected, and he himself may never turn evil....but what about his clone? Whose to say SHE won't become the new 'Ultimate Enemy' COMPLETE
1. Too late to change the future?

Danny, frozen in shock, watched as the older man trained the Fenton Bazooka directly at Danielle

**Okay people! This is actually a rewritten ending for doinstuff's fic, TUE? **

**Granted, I really liked the fanfic, but the ending itself was a little….cheezy. So I decided to take creative license, and with the author's permission, write another, different ending. **

**I plan on writing either two or three parts, so stay tuned! And I hope you enjoy it!**

**Below, the italicized paragraph is the last excerpt from chapter thirteen, right before the original ending, incase anyone is confused**

_Danny, frozen in shock, watched as the older man trained the Fenton Bazooka directly at Danielle. She gasped and raised her hands in an attempt to defend herself from the blast she knew was going to hit her almost point blank. Danny's heart stopped and he realized that maybe it wasn't such a good thing for their futures to be different after all._

His green eyes snapped shut, unable to watch the little ghost-girl being blown to bits. It was enough to hear her pitiful whimpers-he didn't need to _see_ the horrid expression on her face to match it. It made him sick-sick that he'd wound up in what appeared to be someone's idea of a 'deja-vu,' sick that his efforts to save the future had been a waste….and sick that the most innocent, carefree person he knew was responsible for creating it. _This shouldn't be happening_….he thought desperately, a feeling of impending doom washing through him, _this _can't _be happening…._

From behind the darkened shade of his eyelids, Danny recognized the scuffing of feet and the hard, rasped breathing as Vlad masters prepared to fire.

"I don't know _how _the two of you wound up here," he snarled, "nor do I care. All that matters to me is your destruction!" A sharp, distinct _clicking _sound was heard, and Danny became frighteningly aware that Vlad had pulled the trigger. No….No….

"NO!" Danny shrieked, his eyes bolting open as if on instinct. It didn't matter anymore, what happened to him. Nor did this future. Nothing was set in stone-Clockwork had told him that. And as the master of time, Danny was pretty sure he was telling the truth. He had to be. After everything he'd been through, after witnessing _his _own ghastly future, the ghost boy just couldn't bare to watch a member of his 'family' die by her father's own hand.

However….he never had the chance to act. For the moment the trigger was pulled, a bright, blinding light expelled from the nozzle of the Fenton Bazooka-and not one that _should _have either. Danny blinked, panic overtaking his previous fury. Had he been too late? Or had the….

"Ah ah ah."

A cold shiver shot up the ghost-boy's spine, and his eyes widened in fright and alarm. That voice….there was _no way_. NO way _he _could have followed them here! It wasn't possible! And yet….the tall, pale, muscled figure before him told Danny differently.

"Y-you…." he croaked, his heart sinking, "how did you find us?"

The older Phantom laughed, and he removed his gloved hand from the nozzle of the bazooka-which, Danny guessed, must have been the cause of its strange behavior only moments ago.

"Really now Danny, you are so naïve." He continued, ignoring his younger self's bewilderment, "Surely you didn't think I spent all that time locked away in that Fenton Thermos sitting around, did you?" He shook his head, the white flickering flames that was his hair dancing about. Danny glared, repositioning himself into a fighting stance. Phantom, however, seemed….bemused if anything else.

"Oh please. Do you honestly think you can beat me? I don't think so." He answered for him. "It was mere luck you won our previous….battle..." His voice trailed off, as if suddenly remembering something important. "But I digress. It isn't you we're here for anyway. I'll have plenty of time to deal with you later, _after _I finish business with my idiot of an arch-enemy." He turned, obviously looking for Vlad, whom Danny hoped hadn't succeeded in his determination to kill Danielle.

A sudden high-pitched shriek coming from his right proved his pessimist thoughts to be mistaken.

"Danielle?!" Danny cried, whirling around in the direction the scream had come.

"Danny!" He heard her reply, sending a wave of relief through him, "H-help me!"

'Help her?' That wasn't good. He hadn't heard those words escape her mouth since their reunion a few days ago, so for her to need his help….

"Shut up you little whelp." An older, darker, feminine voice shot, a voice that filled the ghost-boy with a feeling of dread for the second time that day; a voice that belonged to Danielle's evil, future self.

Danny's senses stiffened and his eyes hardened as he gazed reproachfully at the crazed woman, and the little girl she had captive by the wrist. "Danielle!" He called again; more confident with the reassurance she was still alive. He thrust his hands in front of them, ecto-energy beginning to form in each one. "Let her go!" He threatened, glaring at her.

"'Let her go?'" Future Danni echoed, furrowing her brow, "don't be ridiculous. Her time is up…..as is _yours._"

_That _remark certainly startled Danny. "Huh? What do you-" He never finished the sentence, for something struck him hard on the back of his neck, causing the ghost-boy to crumble to his knees, unconscious. Danielle, still in the grasp of her older self, watched, terrified, as Danny's future self marveled at the boy at his feet.

"One down." She heard him muse as he picked up her cousin by the collar of his uniform. However, she became distracted when she noticed the evil Danni was now staring intently at her.

"One to go." The older woman replied, holding up her free hand, which was now charged with dark burgundy ecto-energy.

Danielle struggled, yanking her wrist as hard as she could, but her future self's hand held fast. "No!" She screamed, trying desperately to free herself. "Stop!"

Both older phantoms laughed at _that _remark. "Stop?" Danni asked, a hint of mockery in her voice, "I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear." She brought her face dangerously close to the green-eyed girl, and breathed, "I need to ensure that this future, _my _existence, still occurs. But by the way things seem to be moving," and here she cast a despised glance at the unconscious Danny, "my future looks….only plausible. And as such, I'm taking matters into my own hands."

At that moment, the ecto-energy in her hands finish taking shape-forming into a large sphere. With a devilish smile, the evil Danni slowly brought it forward, antagonizing the young girl and putting her on edge as the deadly ball of energy came closer towards her face. She squirmed, fear coursing through her veins.

"S-stop it!" She managed, trying to escape from the path of the glowing sphere, "let me go!"

Again Danni laughed, "Now now, if I do that, what will become of me?" She continued to ignore the younger Danni's effortless protests, wanting the satisfaction of her death and the solidifying of her future as quickly as possible. But the young phantom girl wasn't about to cooperate.

"LET ME GO!" She shrieked, her voice becoming more firm, more determined, more...fed up with her jerky older self, "_LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!"_

On the word 'go,' Danielle's voice suddenly shot at least five octaves higher, her cry contorting until it became a shrill, ear piecing screech. The older woman instantly released her grasp on the girl, clutching her hands instead to her ears in pain. "T-that power….i-it….it isn't possible!" She yelped, as eerie green sonic waves expelled from the younger girl's throat, "You're too young….too…." Her words cut off as she again screamed in agony, blood beginning to ooze from her ghostly sensitive eardrums. Though her teeth were clenched shut, mentally the ghost-woman swore, her tearing crimson eyes focused in hatred at her younger self.

The female ghost child seemed to notice this, for she met the ruby glare with her own emerald eyes, increasing the speed and power of her own 'ghostly wail.' _I can do this! _She thought vigorously, her white eyebrows furrowing, _I can do this!_ Nevertheless, as she watched her….self….fall to her knees, the younger girl was already starting to realize she was steadily growing weaker-the cost of such a strong and efficient attack proving to be too much of a strain on her ghostly form. _Come on! _She urged herself, sweat beginning to dot her forehead, _just a bit more…. _


	2. Nothing set in stone

With a cry, the older Danni Phantom finally gave in to the Ghostly Wail, her sleek body doubling over as the sonic ecto-rays of her younger self corrupted her physical form, and the high-pitched screeching piercing both her ears and the focus in her mind. Noticing this, the little ghost girl abruptly closed her mouth, thankful and shocked she'd been able to maintain such a powerful attack for so long. Her position sagging, two white rings suddenly appeared around her, transforming her ghostly form back into her regular human one. Now completely exhausted, Danni leaned forward, supporting her upper body weight by placing her hands on her knees and locking her arms.

"W-wow…." She marveled, slowly regaining her breath, "I-I can't believe I…." She stopped, her words catching in her throat. She was getting up. Her evil future self was still conscious! The previous awe and accomplishment Danni had been feeling was instantly washed away and her blue eyes widened as fear once again gripped her heart. Though obviously shaken from the girl's Ghostly Wail, the older Danni Phantom was feverously struggling to get to her knees. She was weakened, and she knew it too, but her determination was far more powerful than the strain she was currently putting on her body, and as such, she wasn't about to let her self be beaten by a twelve-year-old halfa, who was still learning how to use her abilities. Cringing as her muscles tightened together, the ghost-woman raised her head, her eyes frantically searching for the male Phantom who had accompanied her to their current location.

"Phantom!" She barked, her voice unusually rigid despite her current condition, "Where the hell are you?!"

The younger Danni jumped; she'd temporarily forgotten that Danny's evil self was_ also_ here. Her reasons may have been different, but Danni suddenly joined her older counterpart in visually searching for the illusive Phantom. She needed to find him before….

"Well well. What have we here?" Phantom's icy voice echoed, as his ghostly form floated gently over to the two girls. Greatly amused, he leaned towards the older Danni, his face displaying a look of mockery. "And I thought you were supposed to be the world's strongest ghost." He laughed, clearly one of cruelty, as his crimson eyes fell upon the younger phantom girl, who flinched when she realized he was looking at her. "Guess I was mistaken."

Future Danni snarled, baring her pointed teeth. "I _am _the world's strongest ghost." She stated coldly, glaring at him viscously, "I just wasn't expecting that brat," and here she jerked her head towards Danielle, "to use the Ghostly Wail! She shouldn't have that power until five years from now!"

Something like aggravation passed over Phantom's face, but he showed no such emotion in his next statement. "Hm….it's ironic how history repeats itself, isn't it."

The dark-haired girl replied with a "what?" before reminding herself who it was she was speaking to, and instantly shut her mouth.

Luckily, Phantom ignored her, his attention still drawn to future Danielle. "I didn't come here to play games," he said, his tone serious, "I came here to settle a score. And I'll do it with or without you if need be. Even if I have to…." His attention suddenly shifted, and the young, present-day Danni abruptly noticed his cold, dark gaze was now on _her_. "….take out the _trash _while I'm at it."

Bolting upright, Danielle took a step back, though she knew the effort was meaningless. She didn't know how he'd been able to withstand her attack, and at this moment in time, she didn't really care. All she knew now was that she was alone, trapped without power, with her fate in the hands of one of the most powerful ghosts she'd ever come across.

The older Danni swore, this time verbally, making an effort to stand. "Wait just a minute!" She cried, staggering slightly, "I'm the one whose going to kill her. It's_ my_ future on the line here! I…."

The male held up his hand, a twisted smile forming on his pale face. "Unfortunately _Danielle_," he hissed, using her full name for the first time, "you lost that choice the minute you succumbed to the girl's attack. You're weak-too weak to do a proper job, and you know it too." He watched as her eyes narrowed, silently admitting he spoke the truth. "Which means," he continued after a short while, "the responsibility of her elimination falls on _me_." Lowering himself to the ground, Phantom took a step towards her, a sadistic look in his eye. Danielle screamed, raising her arms in a meaningless attempt to protect herself. Her body, worn though it was, began shaking, the courage she'd had before disappearing as the ghost-villain neared her.

….but all of a sudden, Phantom cried out and fell to the floor.

"No one's being eliminated," Danni heard a familiar unwavering voice uttered, "Except _you_." Immediately, the ghost girl dropped her arms and looked towards the direction the voice had come. As she'd thought, there stood Vlad Masters, whom the voice belonged to, with a now shivering Phantom lying harmlessly at his feet. Danni's eyes widened as she gawked at the strange sight.

Still being cautious, she cocked her head at the old man and asked, "What….what did you do to him?" She was truly confused-just a moment ago, Phantom had been at the peak of his power: far more than she could handle. But now…._now_ he posed no more threat than her cousin, who was still lying unconscious a few feet away.

In response to her question, Vlad held up his left hand; a small, metallic device carefully wrapped beneath his bony fingers. It took Danni a moment to distinguish what it was, but after a moment or two, she recognized the object to be a syringe of some sort….though it was unlike any syringe _she'd _ever….hold on….she _had_ seen it before….only a few weeks ago….

"Isn't that….isn't that the thing Danny used to stabilize me?!" She questioned in rising alarm, pointing at the little machine. Vlad nodded somberly.

"It is." He replied, bringing it closer to the girl for her to see more clearly. However, Danni, if anything else, seemed to be backing _away _from him.

"T-then why…." She stuttered, beginning to panic, "_why _would you inject something like that into _him_?!" She pointed furiously at Phantom, who still lay on the ground, twitching. "Do you _want _him to-"

"My dear," Vlad interrupted, "You don't know the original purpose of this device, do you?"

A perplexed look crossed Danni's face. "It had an original purpose?"

Old and morbid as he was, Vlad actually _laughed_. "Yes. You see, Danielle, this device here was originally meant to _destabilize _ghosts, rendering them completely harmless-no more dangerous than say, my leather chair. But as with most Fenton inventions, the gadget malfunctioned, acting instead as a ghost-_stabilizer_….but of course, you know how _that _works." He cast her an interesting look, one that made the girl slightly uncomfortable.

"I-if it's su….supposed to stabilize ghosts, then why….why….i-is all my….power….gone?" Both Danielle and Vlad shifted their gazes in the direction of the faint shaky voice that could only belong to Danny's future self. He felt their eyes on him, and with tremendous effort, lifted his head, his fiery hair beginning to short out, and his red pupils beginning to lose their glow.

Vlad only smirked at the weakening Phantom, triumph dancing in his old eyes.

"What? You didn't think I spent all that time hiding down here _sitting around_, did you?"

For the first time since his arrival, a look of apprehension crossed the older Danny's face. Vlad's smile dropped, and he once resumed an authoritic air, turning to face Danni. "Get the Thermos!" He ordered, his voice hard and militaristic. Annoyed though she had been, Danni didn't hesitate to do as her 'father' said rushing over to her unconscious cousin, where she knew the Fenton Thermos would be.

Hurriedly searching for it, she hardly noticed a soft murmur ask, "mm….Danni?"

Acting on impulse after hearing her name, she lowered her head, and was both surprised and relieved to see Danny's blue eyes staring back at her. "Yeah, yeah it's me," she answered, somewhat preoccupied with the task at hand. He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "W-what hit me?"

She paused, and smiled despite the situation. "You did." He raised an eyebrow, but she merely shook her head. "I'll explain everything later—right now, I really need to find that thermos of yours."

"Thermos?" Danny echoed, sitting up, "Why? What happened?"

"DANIELLE!" Vlad bellowed impatiently, "what is taking so long?!"

She jumped, refocusing her attention, while her cousin sat in a confused silence. He didn't understand. What was going on, what had already occurred—it was amazing what one could miss while unconscious. Even now, he had no idea why Danni was looking so desperately for the Fenton Thermos. Sighing in frustration, He slammed a hand to the ground….then instantly brought it up again, yelping as his fingers clanged against an unknown metallic surface.

"Ow!" He cried, clutching his hand with the other. "What the-!?" His head shot in the location of said metal object, his hand still throbbing, much to his annoyance. What he saw, though, made him roll his eyes.

"Danielle!" He hollered, "I…er….found the thermos!"

He hadn't even blinked when a flash of blue and red whizzed by him, picking up the metallic container as she went. "Well, you're welcome," he muttered, getting to his feet, and following where his cousin had gone. Maybe he'd finally learn what had happened while he was out. Trying to avoid walking into any rubbish along the floor, Danny cautiously crept through the lab, his eyes darting about every so often of signs of danger. However, a sharp scream quickly hastened his pace.

"Open it!" Vlad shouted, shaking a hand violently at the raven-haired girl. She fumbled a little with the lid, sweat streaming down her face.

"I am I am!" She assured him frantically, slightly panicking from the amount of pressure he was putting on her.

"W-wait!" A voice cried, startling Danni. She looked up—straight into the ruby eyes of her future self. "Y-you don't want to do this…." She warned, clutching her side, "You'll….you'll be altering my future…._our _future. Who knows what repercussions might come from that!" She coughed, blood spurting from her mouth.

Danni scowled, placing a hand firmly on the thermos' lid. "Whatever they are—I'll take that risk! Better than becoming someone like you!" She turned the lid, preparing to capture both future ghosts with the thermos. Noticing this, the future Danielle made one last attempt to save herself. Cringing as she turned her head, the woman called out to the future Danny, who was still lying in a heap near Vlad and Danni.

"Phantom! Phantom!" She waited for a response, but the man didn't move. He was still too weak from Vlad's injection. Even if he wanted to help, he'd be unable to. That was it. For the first time in eleven years, Phantom had lost his desire for destruction. To put it more simply—he felt defeated. He'd given up; knowing full well what the outcome was going to be, and as such, saw no reason to deny it. Even if he _was _being sucked into that accursed thermos again. Future Danielle snarled, completely unaware of Phantom's inner 'monologue,' before collapsing from over exertion. On cue, the younger Danni removed her hand from the thermos, taking its cap with her. A spiraling white light abruptly burst from the small container, hurtling towards the future ghosts.

The older Danielle screamed, furious that _this _petty invention would be her end. It wasn't fair. To have come this far, to have sacrificed so much….only to be utterly beaten by a younger, inexperienced and naïve version of herself: she couldn't stand it. The irony of the situation was almost too much for the ghost-woman to handle. But alas, when it all came down to it, there really was nothing she could do. Locking gazes for a final time with her past self, future Danielle bared her teeth in a malicious manner, and joined the male Phantom in being sucked into the depths of the Fenton Thermos.

**Well, that's part two! I hope those of you reading this are liking it so far; I felt this last part dragged a bit, but I wanted to bring an end to Dan and future Danni before writing the last part. **


	3. A new beginning

"Now the question remains

"Now the question remains ... what to do with you two?" Vlad asked, more to himself than to the two half-ghosts in front of him. Danni twitched, and cast a nervous glance at her cousin. Though the old man had assisted her in capturing both her and Danny's future self, the girl hadn't forgotten that, prior to said incident he had tried to destroy her. Something she'd hoped he wouldn't attempt to resume.

Danny, aware of her uneasiness, took a step forward, raising his hand in suggestion. After hearing the entire story, he didn't want to underestimate Vlad's actions, let alone let him make such an important decision on his own. Especially seeing as to how he still gripped the repaired ecto-dejecto in his hand. Eying cautiously, the boy voiced his recommendation.

"Urn ... we-uh, that is ... " he paused, phrasing his next words carefully, "Danielle and I, we're still ... trapped here, that is, in this future. If you could use the uh, ghost gauntlets to ... " he stopped abruptly, remembering the last time he suggested such a thing Vlad had taken the Fenton Bazooka out and aimed it at Danni, swearing to kill her. He guessed that's what had caused her to flinch a moment ago; both wanted to ensure they didn't go through a repeat of _last _time. He inhaled slowly and lowered his brow, blue eyes hardening in determination. "We need you to reach into us and take out the medallions, otherwise, we'll never be able to go back to ... to go back home."

He watched Vlad's face intently, searching for any signs of hostility. However, the old man merely nodded, dropping the device in his hands with a "Yes, I thought you might." He then turned around, walking instead over to where his computer was, leaving both ghost-kids gaping at his back.

_"You thought _we _might?" _Danny asked, echoing Vlad's previous comment, "What, does that mean you _won't _destroy Danni?"

"Precisely."

"But," Danielle, who had been quiet up until this point, questioned, "why?"

Though preoccupied in searching through the rubble around his computer and chair, the old man raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised at her question. "Why not? Or would you _like _me to follow through with my original plan?" he replied after a moment. Danni yelped and shook her head violently, to which the old man chuckled.

"Let me tell you something Danielle," he began again, "When you first arrived here, I thought it must have been some kind of trick-I mean, Daniel was supposed to be dead, and you ... you ... " he paused, "well, you couldn't blame me for overreacting now, could you? Anyone in my position would have done so. And when I learned you were from the past, how could I help my self but jump at the chance to eliminate the girl responsible for this horrible future while she was young in hopes of preventing it? However," and here his expression softened, "as I watched you two in battle, I began to realize something; the Daniel and Danielle I witnessed fighting off 'themselves' weren't actually the same people, despite being from different times. The biggest hint being Daniel's older self. He had to be about what-twenty-five? Eleven years from the period in which you two came from. However, as previously mentioned, the Daniel Fenton from this time is dead, so how could he possess a future self? Much less an _evil _self?"

"You finally get it," Danny cut in, rolling his eyes, "took long enough. Now can you skip the end of this lecture and-?"

"My boy, the very point I'm trying to make is that 1 think I'm beginning to understand what you were trying to tell me earlier-and why you seemed to know everything 1 was going to say. You ... you've been to the future before, haven't you?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah. But a different one ... before you created Danielle. And ... "

"One where _you _were the world's most powerful ghost?"

"Right."

"But of course, the moment where you should have become this 'ultimate enemy' has passed, if it was indeed before the creation of your clone."

"Yes, I _know _all of that.. .. "

"As do I...now. The future isn't set in stone, is it, Daniel?" He asked, already knowing the answer as he threw aside one last piece of trash, revealing, as he'd thought, a pair of rusted-but still working-ghost gauntlets, "And I'm leaving it up to the two of you to prove it to me." He turned back around then, slipping on the metallic gloves. "Now," Vlad added, approaching the two, "who wants to go first?"

He may have swore against destroying her, but that didn't make Danni the least bit less nervous when Vlad approached her with the sharp needle-like fingers of the Ghost Gauntlets. She remembered closing her eyes and clamping her gloved hands over her ears, so as to block out the sounds and sights of the metallic appendages reaching into her and her cousin. Her imagination was running wild as pictures of the gauntlets fishing through her ghost-half in search of the medallion. She wondered if the images in her mind even matched the actual process in the slightest, but the more she thought about it, the more she decided she didn't really want to know after all.

"Hey Danni ... Danni, you can open your eyes now."

"H-huh?" Instantly her blue eyes popped open, realizing it was Danny speaking to her. She raised her head in the direction his voice had come, suddenly alarmed in noticing they were no longer in the future Vlad's lab. "Where-?!" She began, her head darting back and forth to look at her surroundings.

"It's okay," Danny assured her, a relieved tone in his voice, "We're back."

"W-what?" The words took a few minutes to register in Danni's mind, but as she continued her visual search she was able to confirm her cousin's words. The word surrounding them now seemed brighter and more cheerful than that of the future, and much less high-tech for that matter. The ghost-girl smiled thankfully. They were, in fact, _back. _

" ... right in front of Casper High-as if we never left."

"Huh?" Danni jumped, snapping out of her thoughts.

Danny chuckled at her reaction, reaching out and ruffling her black hair. "I _said _'I can't believe we returned right in front of Casper High. It's as if-"

"-yeah, yeah I heard that last part." Danielle interrupted, cutting him off as she raised both arms over her head and giving them a good stretch. "Man," she said after a moment, turning her back to Danny , "You think after all that, I'd understand time traveling, but ... "

"Hey, I've been to the future _twice _and I _still _don't understand it. The future is ... well, a complicated thing, Danielle. You can't expect to understand how and/or why things happen the way they do."

"Tell me about it," she muttered, her dark eyebrows creasing. She knew her cousin was right, but ... "Danny?" she asked suddenly, stiffening.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ... do you think ... " She whirled around then, tears shining in her eyes, "Do you think I really _will _turn into that. ... that .._.. other _me someday?" It embarrassed her slightly, but as the words left her mouth, the salty liquid escaped her eyes and slid down the sides of her face.

''No ... hey, hey Danielle, no ... I don't think you will." Danny answered hurriedly, rushing over to embrace the crying girl, "In fact, I...I _know _you won't. The Danni from then and the Danni from now are two completely different people-and I don't mean the one from the future. _You ... .you're _not like that-you'd never needlessly kill someone, and you'd never lie and place the blame on someone else. You're just not that kind of girl."

Danni bit her lip and wrapped her arms around her cousin, burying her head in his shirt. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly sure if she _was _the kind of girl Danny had described; how could she determine if in a year or so she _would _kill someone or not? She didn't want to admit it, to herself or anyone else, but. ... she _was _jealous of him. She always had been. Even now, while she cried into his chest like a small child, the envy of the boy she'd been cloned from was eating away at her insides--envy that, if she didn't overcome, might actually lead her to doing one of those horrible things someday. She knew this; she knew _all _of this. And it scared her.

"Danielle ... .if.. . .if it makes you feel any better. ... I...I'm sorry."

_What? _Danni's head instantly shot up. Did he just say what she thought he said? '" s-sorry?'" The girl echoed, staring at him wide-eyed, "Why? I mean, what do you have to apologize for? It's not your fault that-"

"Yeah. It is. It _is _my fault you become a monster. And I know you know that, too." He hung his head, tightening his grip around her. "Your entire life, you've been jealous of me, haven't you?"

Danni made to comment, but the boy pressed on before she had the chance.

"I should have recognized it earlier-maybe I could have done something ... .I-I never meant to leave you behind, to leave you alone ... .I guess ... .I guess it just never occurred to me how you were feeling-what you were thinking. I should have been more sensitive, more aware; I should have realized there was something-that the happy-go-­lucky girl on the outside wasn't the same one on the inside. But" and here his expression saddened " ... .I didn't. And I'm sorry."

She couldn't speak. All words caught in her throat. The boy she'd been cloned from, the boy she'd been silently envying, the boy who had everything she had ever wanted was _apologizing. _To her. Saying sorry for everything he'd ever done to hurt her. And she didn't know how to react. There was a part of her that was astounded by the apology, but all the same, it made her happy to know he finally understood how she felt. Yet there was another part of her, the part she was less willing to admit she had, that _liked _that he acknowledged his own guilt and was currently sulking in it. She enjoyed seeing him feel so defeated-like she had kicked him and then run off, leaving him behind in the dust to curse at her. Danni knew this ... this ... whatever it was wasn't how she _should _have reacted, so she chose to ignore that side of her. After all, what was most important was that Danny was finally aware of the emotional pain she'd endured after all this time, and recognized that he was a major contributor to it. And for everything it was worth, the girl was thankful.

A moment or two more went by before Danny finally let go of his cousin, believing she had regained control of her emotions. Looking up as if to confirm his beliefs, Danni wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and smiled at him, silently agreeing that she _was _all right.

Danny himself was a little taken aback at first; astonished when it dawned on him that the smile she gave him was perhaps the very first genuine one he'd ever seen her wear; even counting the times she'd been freed from Vlad and when she was stabilized. Both times she had done so and both times he hadn't paid much attention ... but, now that he thought about it, there _had _been something different, something false in her supposed sincere look. Now, however, the little ghost girl showed no such betrayal in her smile or in her eyes, and Danny knew that she was, in fact, content. He only wished she hadn't gone through so much pain in order to be so.

" ... So," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, "what will you do now?"

"Hm?" It took a minute or two to register that he was speaking to her, but when it did, Danni replied "Oh I don't know. Probably finish exploring the Ghost Zone or something." She laughed, "You know, it's amazing I haven't finished covering that place, considering how long I've spent in there."

Something inside Danny cringed at the mention of the Ghost Zone, but he disregarded it, an idea coming to mind. "You know ... you could always come back with me. I mean, you're staying with us now, but I don't mean that...we could ... if we explain that you really _don't _ have a place to live, maybe my parents would agree to adopt-"

Danni held up her hand, instantly cutting her cousin off. "No, Danny, that wouldn't work."

"What? Why not? Don't you want to-"

The girl shook her head. "I need to find my _own _place, with my _own _family. And I will...someday. I just have to keep searching until I find them, that's all."

"But-"

Suddenly, Danni shuddered, "I don't belong with you-not if I want to prevent that horrible future from happening, remember?" She closed her eyes momentarily, then ran over and hugged him one last time. "I'll be fine! It's like Vlad said ... like you _knew ..._ thefuture _isn't _set in stone. So what do we really need to worry about?" She flashed him a grin, before two white rings formed around her, transforming her human body into its other ghostly one. Then, as Danny watched, his female counterpart propelled herself upward, and disappeared into the setting sun.

Danny sighed, a smirk playing on his lips. She'd be alright. After all, she was his clone, wasn't she?

**Okay! That's it! The end! Yay!! I really like how this ended-it took awhile to come up with! But I felt that ending the fic with a question left the reader ****hanging ... if ever so slightly ... of course, it's all how you interpret it! Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Especially you, doinstuff I hope this ending lived up to your expectations! But even if it didn't, I sure as heck loved writing this! It was so much fun! And I'm surprised I finished it! Typically I don't fmish what I start. Well, anyway, thanks again everyone! Now to finish my other DP fie, 'All That Jazz.' (shameless self-advertising XD)**


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